What Lies Ahead

For 77 years I've never really gave it much thought until the last few years. I think I tend to lean towards something out there. What it is, no one knows but there is so many questions I would love to find an answer to sometime.
 

drifter said:
It looks like the majority here says that what we've got now is as good as its gonna get. I never believed in the pearly gates and as far as Hell is concerned, I'll never get any closer to it than the life I've lived here, which sometime has seemed a living hell. I thought maybe some of you had broke open the ice and found a new avenue or something I could consider. Let me say I didn't put this up lightly and I appreciate all your comments. Related to these comments I think is the story of "Freddie the Leaf" Any of you ever read that? A small book, maybe for kids, which I thought was a heck of a story. You all have left some good comments and I thank you.
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SeaBreeze commented here that she'd never heard of any believable accounts but there are any number of books that talk about near death experiences, what happened and how the people were changed by the experience in a profoundly spiritual way as a result. Cases of blind people who report that while they are dead, they can see, who is standing where, what the doctors did, what the instruments looked like, colours......where dentures are put away while a cardiac arrest patient is being worked on after their hearts have stopped!

Dr. Raymond L. Moody wrote Life After Life in the 70's and based on a multitude of patients that he questioned after they reported having an NDE. And then there's Dr. Eben Alexander who had an experience about 8 years ago and wrote about it in Proof of Heaven. Or Anita Morjani who wrote Dying To Be Me after she died from stage four cancer, was revived and when she was tested four days later, there was no longer any sign of the cancer in her body. There are lots of books that talk about what happens after we die, you just have to get them and read them.

I also have a book written by an investigative author, Chris Carter, that explains in great detail why the usual excuses that doctors use to dismiss the possibility that we survive our bodies deaths, are wrong. So the information is available. But how many actually look for it? My husband has always gotten creeped out by any talk of dying but as a result of my reading and our discussions, he's become more open to the possibility/probability that who we really are survives past the death of these bodies.

If you were interested Drifter and anyone else for that matter, I could tell you what I believe happens based on all of this. But if not, that's cool too.
 

I do not believe in a traditional heaven or hell scenario,I am inclined to believe in Reincarnation due to some experiences I have had, ie knowing where things are in places I have never been. I think life is school where we learn to be better human beings, and return again and again in order to achieve that goal. Souls? Absolutely, human and animal. If I am wrong,and all that awaits is the long sleep, no harm done, it is a great privilege to be alive and walk the earth for whatever time is given.
 
Based on multitudes of reports of NDE by people from all sorts of backgrounds, you're pretty accurate Shalimar. Interestingly, after my last post I decided to look at Huffington Post and lo and behold, there is an article there about this very thing. You can look at the link here: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/03/the-science-of-near-death-experiences/386231/

I also think that while you're partly right about life being a school it is the process also meant ,for a greater consciousness that is the source of everything, to have opportunity to gather experiences, to 'know itself'. We are in the process of evolving spiritually to eventually after many lifetimes to be the best that we can be. Interestingly, there are some physicists whose developing ideas that this world could possibly be a holographic reality who are also suggesting that their science supports the possibility of NDE's and that NDE's are evidence of their suggestion that it's all a holographic reality. NASA physicist Tom Campbell is one of them.
 
Interesting, my daughter recently emailed me the lengthy article from the Atlantic. As I understood it, the article doesn't bring up anything new except we now know some research is going on in Some few hospitals with heart patients.
 
Debby said:
SeaBreeze commented here that she'd never heard of any believable accounts but there are any number of books that talk about near death experiences, what happened and how the people were changed by the experience in a profoundly spiritual way as a result.
If you were interested Drifter and anyone else for that matter, I could tell you what I believe happens based on all of this. But if not, that's cool too.
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I'm open minded as I said, and interested in hearing what everyone believes on this subject Debby, so please share your thoughts. It's stories like this that don't help my belief in these matters.

According to the book's Amazon page: "When Alex awoke from a coma two months later, he had an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the angels who took him through the gates of Heaven itself. And, most amazing of all ... of meeting and talking with Jesus."

The letter that Alex, who is now 16, wrote to publishers said he made the whole thing up: "I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough."

Two major Christian bookstores have announced plans to pull the books from stores.
In April, Alex's mother, Beth Malarkey, wrote on her blog that the book was untrue. She also implied that Alex had not received the proceeds from the book sales:
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-...eaven-recants-everything-2015-1#ixzz3V2atMSfP
 
I suppose it's difficult for me to grasp the idea this conscienceness, knowing as we do, this life we hold dear, is merely an accident of nature and will and does suddenly end and that's all there is. I suppose I've always been a little slow.
 
I believe death is it! No "hereafter", neither heaven or hell. I do not believe the bible anymore than any other piece of fiction. I respect others faith, but it's not for me.
 
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Not keen on the fire and brimstone stuff either, but I'm always open to learning more about NDEs which I find fascinating in their own way, and also notice there are so many similar accounts.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I'm open minded as I said, and interested in hearing what everyone believes on this subject Debby, so please share your thoughts. It's stories like this that don't help my belief in these matters.

According to the book's Amazon page: "When Alex awoke from a coma two months later, he had an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the angels who took him through the gates of Heaven itself. And, most amazing of all ... of meeting and talking with Jesus."

The letter that Alex, who is now 16, wrote to publishers said he made the whole thing up: "I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough."

Two major Christian bookstores have announced plans to pull the books from stores.
In April, Alex's mother, Beth Malarkey, wrote on her blog that the book was untrue. She also implied that Alex had not received the proceeds from the book sales:
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-...eaven-recants-everything-2015-1#ixzz3V2atMSfP
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Yeah there are bound to be stories like that, just like I've heard of guys who had no training but were being allowed to work 'as doctors' in clinics because they had a good line. But that doesn't take anything away from the real doctors does it? There are any number of books written by people or by researchers (doctors) who've collected case studies of people who've died in various ways and then miraculously come back. Anita Moorjani, Dr. Eben Alexander were two cases that come to mind immediately and then here is a link to an old movie about Dannion Brinkly who was electrocuted and then came back a changed man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lc0yasjYc

There is a foundation called NDERF which was set up to collect stories of peoples experiences. You might find something interesting there too. http://www.nderf.org/site_index.htm
 
Thanks again for your replies. I stress, if not before, then now, my interest has not been aliened to any religious connotation, and is not Bible oriented. The whole thing seems improbable that life as we know it is an improbable accident of nature and will end that way. That's no way to end a good novel. Cheers. See you boys and girls on down the road at the next coffee stop.
 
Scientist say "Nothing ever dies it only changes form". Think about that.
 
Yes, you might say that, in fact, what are we if not part of the planet earth itself, as are all life forms. Earth is the entity and we are like microbes? Let's think about that! ....
 
Debby like SB I too would be really interested in your beliefs on this subject if you wish to share..

I'd also love to read the stories of blind people who died and were able to describe what they saw in detail ...can't find any link to that anywhere , can you point me in the right direction? :)
 
I'm open minded as I said, and interested in hearing what everyone believes on this subject Debby, so please share your thoughts. It's stories like this that don't help my belief in these matters.
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Here's what I think happens: When we die, the energy/spirit/soul (whatever you want to call the life that is 'us') separates from this body that we use to experience life, the world and relationships. We return to a 'pre-physical life' dimension where we rejoin our group whom we've moved through many lifetimes with. We may first experience floating up from our now dead body and seem to generally have less a feeling of loss and more a kind of curious interest in the things that are going on around our body.

The next thing apparently that happens is that you will feel a sensation of being pulled away from that scene and while some folks have described moving through a tunnel of sorts, other's seem to be more focused on being drawn towards a spot of light in the distance that also feels infinitely kind and gentle and loving and that feeling gets stronger the closer we get to it. It's been described as a consuming feeling of love that filled up every cell of that persons being and you will feel safer and more complete than you've ever felt in your life. You will feel like you've 'returned Home'.

Those who are 'old souls' go through the de-coupling from life relatively quickly and without a lot of assistance, but for those who are at the beginning of their 'experiences', help and comfort can come in the form of meeting family or friends who've gone before or guides whose sole purpose is to smooth the way as we adjust to our new state of being.

The 'place' we go to is designed also to soothe and ease the transition. What you expect is what you get in large part. For the Christian believer, his initial impression may well be 'pearly gates', etc., and to the atheist who loves the great outdoors, he may find himself being met by family in a beautiful mountain meadow. (Picture that great Robin Williams movie, 'What Dreams May Come'). People in other cultures experience a place that meets up with their expectations based on the kinds of experiences they have had in their lives. And as we adjust and begin to re-know who we are and where we are, those ideas may shift and change and melt away and our awareness begins to match up to a cosmological, inexplicably lovely state of place and being that most of those folks find difficult if not impossible to really explain.


There we go through a sort of de-briefing where we get to examine our own lives, the things we did, how we grew, the effect on others. But the whole experience has the feel of watching a movie, rather than causing a personal sense of condemnation or embarrassment. We examine it to see where we went wrong, how we could do better, all with a view to becoming a better and more loving person over time. And there are other 'people' there, who long ago went through their own life experiences and ultimately graduated to beings who guide those of us who are still spending time in this dimension and they act as teachers or guides. We spend however long is necessary, discussing, sharing, talking and understanding all of that past life stuff as well as the next step.

Then there comes a time when we've talked enough and become reenergized enough to make our next decision on how we can continue this evolution of spirit in a new life. No one stays because the whole purpose of life is to experience life and to know ourselves in every possible way, and a single transition through life will never give you all that you need to know, so we choose to do it yet again....and again.


What really turns me on about all of this and tells me it's not hoo-doo and craziness is the fact that certain elements of quantum physics support these ideas! And more phycists are beginning to question whether or not this material, physical world isn't some form of virtual reality or a sort of holographic reality or a form of matrix (as in the movie). And not only does it offer a science supported possibility/probability, but for those who are of a religious nature, the concept also embraces their ideas ideas except with a few adjustments. I like to think of the big religions as 'thumbnails' of what is really out there and what's really going on. You know, where you look at that little tiny box with all it's shapes and splotches of colour.......and then when you click on it and the Big Picture opens up and it's waaaaaay more than that thumbnail can convey!

Seriously, if you have an open mind and are willing to admit that there is no more evidence for any of the other theories than for this one, and then can see how there may(probably is) scientific processes that actually do support what I've come to accept, it's hard not to get excited by it. Because what this means is you don't have to be afraid to die and the people you've loved, you'll be with again!

Anyway, enough of that...time to get back to making dinner.....so mundane in the face of cosmological loveliness!:D
 
Cookie said:
Yes, you might say that, in fact, what are we if not part of the planet earth itself, as are all life forms. Earth is the entity and we are like microbes? Let's think about that! ....
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And our Universe is full of microbes.
 
hollydolly said:
Debby like SB I too would be really interested in your beliefs on this subject if you wish to share..

I'd also love to read the stories of blind people who died and were able to describe what they saw in detail ...can't find any link to that anywhere , can you point me in the right direction? :)
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Well there's this one about a woman named Pam Reynolds and what she 'saw' during her operation was terribly interesting and provides what some call the best evidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu1ErDeQ0Zw

As for the blind experiencers, I read about a Dr. Kenneth Ring who looked for these kinds of people so turning to Google, I came up with the following:

https://books.google.ca/books?id=63...o can see during nde Dr. Kenneth Ring&f=false

Sorry, you'll have to click on the link because it won't let me cut and paste.
 

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